The solar system · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The Solar System in Motion

Science · Space Systems & Earth's History · ages 9-10
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What is true about all the planets in our solar system?

    • They all orbit (circle around) the sun
    • They all orbit the moon
    • They stay still and never move

  2. Which shape best describes the sun, Earth, and the moon?

    • A flat circle
    • A sphere (ball shape)
    • A flat square

  3. The moon orbits the sun directly, not Earth.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. A friend says the sun is a flat circle painted in the sky. What is wrong with that idea?

    • The sun is really a giant sphere
    • The sun really is flat, so the friend is right
    • The sun is a square, not a circle

  5. Which sentence correctly describes how Earth and the moon move?

    • The moon orbits Earth while Earth orbits the sun
    • Earth orbits the moon while the moon orbits the sun
    • The moon and Earth both stay in the same spot

  6. Look at the row of planets. Which position in this row is Earth?

    MercuryVenusEarthMars
    • The 2nd one
    • The 3rd one
    • The 4th one

  7. If scientists found a new planet between Mars and Jupiter, what would you expect to be true about it?

    • It would orbit Earth instead of the sun
    • It would stay still and not move
    • It would orbit the sun like every other planet

  8. Nora says the Moon travels around the Sun without going around Earth. Which motion has she left out?

    • The Moon's orbit of Earth
    • Earth's orbit of the Moon
    • The Sun's daily orbit of Earth
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The Solar System in Motion W1-mt_5l7iGkf1Tp-s1

  1. They all orbit (circle around) the sun · Every planet, including Earth, follows a curved path called an orbit around the sun.
  2. A sphere (ball shape) · They all look round in every direction, like a ball, not flat like a circle on paper.
  3. False · The moon orbits Earth. Earth, with the moon along, then orbits the sun.
  4. The sun is really a giant sphere · Spheres can look flat and round from far away, but the sun is really a giant ball of hot gas.
  5. The moon orbits Earth while Earth orbits the sun · The moon circles Earth, and together they travel around the sun.
  6. The 3rd one · Counting from the sun: Mercury, Venus, then Earth. Earth is the third planet.
  7. It would orbit the sun like every other planet · Every planet in our solar system follows the same rule: it orbits the sun.
  8. The Moon's orbit of Earth · The Moon orbits Earth while both move around the Sun. Nora has left out the Moon's motion around Earth.
Worksheet · LightMySky